Want to make a beautifully molded Christmas cookie? Check out Nini’s Perfection Springerle Cookies Recipe. Flavored either lemon or anise( licorice) this dense cookie is crunchy on the outside but tender soft on the inside. The cookie dough consists of butter, confectioner’s sugar, a lot of eggs and bakers ammonia.
What makes this cookie special
the wooden molds or cookie presses with their many intricate and simple designs. Printing the cookies is simple for the cookie dough is smooth and dense. After printing the dough sets for 24 hours to set the printed designs then baked 10-15 minutes. They are stored in a crock if you have one for many weeks to enhance the licorice flavor. Great cookie for dipping in hot cocoa or coffee. You can find many molds at www.fancyflours.com
The Recipe
is not my own. Although my grandmother and mother in law would bake springerles on Veterans Day to have them ready for Christmas, there recipe was different from Nini’s. Nini’s Perfection Springerle Cookie recipe is delicious and the one in this post. House on the Hill published this recipe along with creating the molds.
The Secret Ingredient
is baker’s ammonia ( hartshom). This is the only leavening agent. “Hartshorn also known as Ammonium Carbonate or baker’s ammonia will evaporate readily if not tightly sealed. Yes, that is the ammonia that you smell when you open the jar”. It is said that bakers ammonia gives the cookie fluffiness and is activated by oven heat and not moisture like baking powder. So when you bake these cookies they will puff up and be beautiful.
Check out House on the Hill for Instructions and more detail. This is the best recipe ever!
Letting the cookies rest for 24 hours before baking will set the design during baking. Photo below are unbaked cookies, you can see they are flat but the design imprint looks good. During baking the cookies puff up causing the design to puff as well.
German Springerle Cookie Recipe
German Licorice or Lemon Flavored Molded cookie that is puffed up and crisp on the outside but tender chewy on the inside. Great dipping cookie with coffee. Recipe is Nini’s Perfection Springerle Cookie, House on the Hill.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes + 24 hour rest
- Cook Time: 10-12 minutes
- Total Time: 0 hours
- Yield: 3-12 dozen depends on mold 1x
- Category: Dessert-Cookies
- Method: Molding and Baking
- Cuisine: German
Ingredients
1/2 teaspoon baker’s ammonia ( hartshorn) or baking powder
2 tablespoons milk
6 large eggs, room temperature
6 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened but not melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon oil of anise
2 lb box sifted cake flour, ( swansdown or softasilk)* (2 lbs is 9 cups)
Grated rind of orange or lemon enhances flavor of traditional anise or citrus flavors.
Additional flour as needed.
Instructions
- Dissolve hartshorn in milk and set aside for 30-60 minutes.
- Beat eggs until thick and lemon colored ( 10-20 minutes).
- Slowly beat in the confectioner’s sugar, the softened butter.
- Add the hartshorn and milk, salt and preferred flavoring and grated rind of lemon or orange if desired.
- Gradually beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer, then stir in the remainder of the 2 lbs of flour to make a stiff dough.
- Turn onto floured surface and knead in enough flour to make a good print without sticking. Roll dough to 3/8″ thickness.
- Lightly brush cookie mold with confectioner’s sugar, turn mold upside down with design facing the dough. Gently press the mold evenly over the dough. Remove mold and use a pizza wheel or sharp knife to cut out individual cookies.
- Place cookies on parchment lined baking sheets, ( aluminum sheets) Let cookies dry 24 hours at room temperature.
- Preheat oven to 225-325 degrees, bake cookies until barely golden on the bottom about 10- 12 minutes depending on size of cookies.
- Store in airtight tin containers.
Notes
Cookies will keep for months and improve with age in the covered crock or tin.
Use only the House on the Hill molds for best results.
Use Lorianne Oils for flavoring Anise or Lemon.
Other Ideas you might like to try: click on photo for recipes
